A famous saying in show business advises actors to ‘never work with children or animals’. Thankfully, current movie technology nullifies that outdated nugget of wisdom, evident here as ‘Alpha’ captures what’s meant to be the first incident of humans befriending wild wolves. The harsh and unforgiving landscape of the Ice Age forms the backdrop to this fictional tale. The story itself is relatively straightforward which might get predictable, but it works as an original fable of how dogs became ‘best friends’ to humans.

Set in the last Ice Age, a young Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is injured and left for dead after a mishap during a hunting expedition. While trying to make his way back home, he befriends an injured wolf, and they both must fight the elements and other predators to survive the ordeal. Smit-McPhee is tasked with most of the acting duties, and the young actor proves he’s capable of holding his own as the star of the film. The movie is a coming-of-age tale of a young boy’s painful journey into adulthood while imagining how a sense of caring for a species other than our own came to be

This movie is envisioned by director Albert Hughes as a time of great natural beauty; lovingly captured in some breathtaking vistas of Europe 20,000 years ago. Vivid colours blended with stark, barren lands create a sense of wonder that’s magnified in IMAX 3D. Alpha is most certainly a tonic in an age when every blockbuster film feels like part of some endless multiverse-cum-marketing scheme. Go for it guys!